Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Oprah Rebooted Her Book Club: Wild became the inaugural selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 in May 2012, prompting Oprah to restart her legendary book club after years of dormancy. Oprah called Cheryl while she was on book tour in a Milwaukee hotel room, and every five minutes Cheryl would shriek and curse in excitement while Oprah laughed. The two became genuine friends through this connection, with Oprah even attending the film’s world premiere at Telluride.

Seventeen Years Between Hike and Publication: Cheryl hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 when she was 26 years old, but Wild wasn’t published until March 2012. She deliberately waited, explaining that she needed those intervening years to gain perspective and understand how the experience settled into her life before she could write about it with depth and meaning. The book was actually her second, following her novel Torch, which she was writing in her head while hiking.

Reese Optioned Before Publication: Reese Witherspoon’s production company optioned the film rights to Wild before the book was even officially published. The story goes that Cheryl actually sent the book herself to Reese because she saw her as the only actress who could portray her. Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay, Jean-Marc Vallée directed, and the 2014 film earned two Academy Award nominations, grossing $52.5 million at the box office.

The Monster Backpack Weighed Her Down: Cheryl’s backpack was so heavy at the start of her journey that she literally couldn’t lift it. Other hikers on the trail nicknamed it “Monster” because of its enormous size and weight, packed with items she’d never need. She was famously unprepared, having never backpacked before, and could barely hoist the pack onto her back without help.

She Lost Six Toenails: Cheryl's too-small hiking boots caused her to lose six toenails during her journey. It took three to four years for her toenail beds to fully regenerate and return to normal after the hike.

She Changed Her Name to Strayed: After her divorce in 1995, Cheryl chose the surname “Strayed” after months of contemplation. She picked it because she felt she had “diverged, digressed, wandered and become wild,” and she saw power in the darkness of her straying. The name symbolized her journey and she loved how it sounded with her first name Cheryl.

The Wild Effect Exploded Trail Traffic: After Wild became a bestseller, permits for long-distance hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail increased more than 300 percent from 2013 to 2019. The phenomenon became known as “the Wild Effect,” changing not just wilderness literature but the outdoors itself. The book convinced countless readers, especially women, that it was okay to embark on major adventures even as complete novices.

She Kept a Detailed Journal: Cheryl maintained a journal throughout her hike, and she noted there was hardly a page where she didn’t write about how much her feet hurt. She used this journal extensively when writing Wild years later, relying on it for specific details about the trail, though she said she never forgot the internal pain and emotional turmoil she experienced.

Number One for Seven Consecutive Weeks: Wild debuted at number 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list the week of publication, then after Oprah’s selection reached number 1 in July 2012. It held that top spot for seven consecutive weeks and spent 52 weeks total on the NPR Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller List. The book has now sold more than five million copies worldwide and been translated into 40 languages.

Her Daughter Played Young Cheryl: Cheryl’s daughter, Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom, played the younger version of her mother in the 2014 film adaptation of Wild. Cheryl married filmmaker Brian Lindstrom in August 1999 and they have two children together, living in east Portland where Cheryl has resided since the mid-1990s.

She Discovered the Trail Buying a Shovel: Cheryl discovered the Pacific Crest Trail completely by chance while standing in line at an REI store outside Minneapolis during a blizzard. She was working as a waitress at the time and had gone to buy a shovel to dig her truck out when she spotted a guidebook called “The Pacific Crest Trail Volume 1: California.” She picked it up, read the back, and was immediately taken by the story of this trail she’d never heard of before.